Waxing… not chains – jackets

My Barbour jacket is coming up around 2 years old and could do with being rewaxed. I live less than three miles from the factory but I’d like to have a go at doing it myself since a tin of wax is only a tenner.

Since STW is well known for its waxing skills, be it chains, legs or something else, has anyone got any tips or pitfalls on the process to look out for?

It’s not too hard really. I’ve done a motorcycle jacket.

Clean rag and rubbed it in really well. I did a panel at a time to keep track of it being careful to do the seams really well.

Next step I used a hairdryer to get some heat into it and help the wax to soften and meld with the fabric.

You should be able to see what you’ve applied ‘wet out’ with the heat as it settles into the fabric.

I think some people do it and then put it inside something and tumble dry it.

Dead easy to do, although having a bit of space handy helps – I’ve done it with the jacket/coat spread over my lap on the couch. I’ve used Renapur Wax and Mink Oil, Renapur is very good for cloth and leather, I’ve got a decades old biker jacket that was very stiff and dry, a couple of sessions with Renapur, using a piece of old tee shirt wrapped around a pad of cotton wool works very well, you can keep using the same pad, it soaks up the wax quite nicely. The tubs come with pieces of foam, which work ok, but they do start to break down over time.

I’ve got an old Dickies waxed cotton coat that must be nearly forty years old, it was a light tan with dark brown corduroy collar, brass zip and press studs, with wool lining, repeated treatments of wax have turned it a quite dark tan now, and it’s a nice comfy coat to wear in shitty cold weather.
Probably time I gave both another coating, and time I got another pot of wax, too.

https://renapur.com/

As the others have said, it’s really easy if you follow the instructions . I’ve done my Barbour a few times using the Barbour wax with no probs at all but I would make sure I had plenty of time spare, and as CountZero says, having a bit of space to spread your jacket out in helps massively.

Had an old Barbour years ago, waxed it once myself and also had it done by them when I sent it back for repair. My attempt was no where near as good as Barbours.

My Barbour jacket is coming up around 2 years old and could do with being rewaxed.

Two years. That’s barely broken in for a Barbour! What’s the jacket worn for? Dog walks, getting manky/muddy then go for it yourself. Smart casual wear, then get it done properly. Colour also plays a part, lighter colours can look patchy and uneven if you are not careful.
One of those jobs that’s easy to do but hard to do well.

It’s easy to do but can take a while.

Soften the wax in a pan of hot water before you start to make it easy to rub in.

I sent my 30 year old Barbour Border back to the factory for a repair and rewax a couple of years ago and it came back almost like new. I guess they spray the wax on and get a very even coating.

Seems like you can pick up a wax jacket for £40-£50, but if you go Barbour you are looking at £200. What’s the deal – same quality but farmers won’t pay what the middle class aspirational barbour customer will?

Nikwax do a cotton proof spray on for about 13 quid. I just hang my jacket up in the garage on a coat hanger and spray it on. It comes out white and stinks of vinegar, but after a few days it’s gone.

I tend to do it in the summer so I can leave the smell to die down a bit as it’s like a dinner ladies tabard!

Jesus wept, what I have I just typed….

Seems like you can pick up a wax jacket for £40-£50, but if you go Barbour you are looking at £200. What’s the deal – same quality but farmers won’t pay what the middle class aspirational barbour customer will?

It’ll be just like other premium brands. You’ll be paying for a mix of genuinely good quality fabrics and components, some of it is still manufactured in the UK I think, with an added margin for brand kudos, marketing etc. It’ll matter / be worthwhile to some people and not to others.

Personally I’d pay a premium not to wear Barbour, I associate it with rampaging posh hoorahs staggering around the streets of Cambridge and gormless toffs guffawing as they blow countless grouse to bits with their shotguns, but I’m sure it’s functionally fine and ideal for blundering through the sort of Cotswold bramble patches that would shred expensive gorpcore jackets in short order. Ym – and prejudices – mv.

I’ve recently had a flurry of waxing activity- waxing fjallraven stuff with their Greenland wax – trousers and bags. Strangely satisfying and not too difficult (if you’re happy to accept non-100% appearance and proofness). Apply wax using bar of soap-like substance, melt into fabric using hair dryer.

Rewaxing a Barbour yourself is easy. Provided you’re OK with an authentic country-style appearance rather than superfine shop-bought.

I reckon you can get at least 3 rewaxes out of a tin based on my 2 rewaxes so far.

The Barbour YouTube video sets it out nicely. https://youtu.be/5AiC81CPht4

Obviously you’ll need to get the wood burner going to warm your waxing room to the right temperature (smirk emoji).

I used a 1L Pyrex jug to hold the tin of wax and hot water from the kettle. This kept the wax a nice, hot Vaseline texture. Then I used a kitchen sponge to apply the wax to the back, sleeves, front, and seams and bits as the video shows. I rubbed it in a bit with warm hands. Then I hung it up in the warm laundry room, my waxing room in the paddock being temporarily out of commission. I used my SO’s hairdryer on ‘hot’ to melt the wax a bit more into the cotton in some places and get a smoother overall finish. The wax took a day or so to ‘dry’ and looks shiny in some areas. But it did increase the water resistance significantly over what it had been previously.

Edit. Rewaxing also makes the jacket warmer in use.

Living close to them I’d be tempted to pop it in, shell out the fee, and see how it turns out. But £10 and about half an hour of minor labor may be more appealing.

Seems like you can pick up a wax jacket for £40-£50, but if you go Barbour you are looking at £200.

I hear similar about mountain bikes.

I am being facetious of course. And you are right – there’s a range of these kinds of things. You’re also right that some ‘classic’ Barbour coats are still made in South Shields. https://www.barbour.com/uk/our-history

Barbour is a divisive brand. I would not have had one before turning ‘mature’/older/fashion-proof. I only succumbed to one a few years back when I wanted a coat for 3-season use that would do for any work travel and casual use. The Bedale in black with some custom options seemed the ideal coat. It’s done OK since. Though the inside pocket could be bigger and the Velcro on it could be the other way around – those hooks play havoc with woollen sweaters.

Thanks all, seems like a hairdryer is a worthwhile addition to the process.

seems like a hairdryer is a worthwhile addition to the process.

Yeah, absolutely. Or else do the waxing during the summer, when you can spread the jacket out on an old blanket, sheet or something outside, and let the sun warm it up while you’re rubbing the wax in, then you can put it on a coat hanger and hang it on the washing line and let it get nice and hot, then soak in. You could let it hang for a couple of really hot days, lets it go through a couple of cycles of heating the wax then cooling it, while you do nothing at all.
My pots of Renapur Wax turned up this evening, I realised the pot I had had very little left in the bottom, so this thread was a good prompt to get some more.

The nice thing about it is it doesn’t need melting, it’s all natural materials, and it can be used on leather, cloth, wood, all sorts of things. I’ve got some boots that could use a couple of coats, and my leather bike jackets haven’t been done for a year or two, so what with some wet days in the offing, I can set to work on those.

Much easier in the summer. Tis warmer .

With regard to their cost, I’ve bought a number off Ebay. The last two, one BNWOT and the other a vgc ladies’ one with Liberty lining for my daughter. Bidders seem to cut out at £70 so I come in 10 secs at the end with a random 70 odd quid bid and bingo! I quite like their cut but they’re not that practical (too hot, too cold, bumfreezer) and no good for rural pursuits.